


Table for Four

by quartetship



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Alternate Universe - Family, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-02-06 11:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1856482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quartetship/pseuds/quartetship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'It's the first time that conversation at the table has involved four people, and suddenly they're like any other family, out to dinner and talking about life.'</p>
<p>Reibert family AU, involving adopted children Berik & Annie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Table for Four

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt on [ cartoonsinthemorning's tumblr](http://cartoonsinthemorning.tumblr.com/), this is my (super domestic and fluffy) take on what a Reibert family with children Berik & Annie would look like. It's also my first time writing anything other than JeanMarco, so this was a lot of fun to do!
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :)
> 
> \--

The beginnings of daylight are barely filtering through the blinds when he wakes up. He's barely slept, and still he's awake before the sun, anxious and excited. When he rolls over in bed he sees Reiner is awake as well, a lazy grin parting his lips as he blinks heavily lidded eyes. He reaches out to thread their fingers together and smiles wider when he speaks.

"Morning, Bert."

"Good morning" he whispers in return, squeezing Reiner's hand in his. "Today's the big day."

"Family of four" Reiner nods. "Seems like it's taken forever to get here."

Bert shakes his head in agreement. They've been making plans to adopt a second child - a girl this time - for months, ever since their son mentioned his wish for a little brother or sister. Knowing they're finally bringing her home that evening gives him more than a few seconds of pause, but the overall feeling between them is one of joy. There's a look of something else in Reiner's eyes as well, and it makes Bert grin almost as brightly as him.

"You know, we're gonna be even busier with two kids" he says in a low voice. "Not much alone time. Maybe we should... _take advantage_ of this morning. Hmm?" He skates his fingers down Bert's side and they both shudder, knowing it truly may be their last chance to enjoy each other for who knows how long. They tangle their bodies together quickly, kisses falling on whatever skin either of them can reach as they pull at each other's clothing. Through shaky breaths and sighs the faint sound of footsteps becomes louder and they pull apart just in time to see the source before it's on top of them.

"It's morning, it's morning!"

Ten year old Berik bursts through the door without warning, and dives for the bed just as enthusiastically. He lands right between them and despite everything Bert can't help but laugh; Berik is probably more excited for this day than he and Reiner combined. He pulls up on his elbows to sit with him, but Reiner pulls their son into a tight hug first, mussing his hair and tickling his ribs until they're both out of breath from giggling.

Bert almost regrets dragging himself from the comfort of their bed to start breakfast, but the excitement and promise of the day ahead pulls him to his feet and down the stairs.

\--

"And she's definitely gonna be there, right?"

"Waiting on us to come and bring her home!" Reiner promises from his place in front of the stove, poking at a pan full of eggs as they cook. He beams at Bert, then back at Berik as he prepares to answer another round of the boy's rapid-fire questions.

"What's her name, again?"

"It's Annie. Annie Leonhardt, but she may want to change her last name to match ours someday."

"What does she look like again?"

"She's got blonde hair and blue eyes, like me."

Berik pouts. "So she's not gonna look like my sister at all?"

"Sure she will!" Reiner reassures him, spooning eggs onto three plates. "She just looks a little more like me, the same way you look more like daddy. She'll look like your sister because she's going to _be_ your sister."

"I guess so" he agrees, and digs into his eggs. Bertholdt lays toast and fruit in front of him as well and doesn't even bother to chastise him for frowning at the bananas and raisins.

"I'm sure the two of you are going to have lots of fun together" he promises, because he really is sure.

Getting out the door on time is easier than it's ever been, and Berik chatters the whole way to the agency office. Reiner chimes in occasionally and they argue about whether or not his new sister will be allowed to use his bike and share his PlayStation, and Bert smiles in spite of himself. He outright laughs when they pull into the parking lot and Berik bolts from his seat before he and Reiner have even unfastened their seatbelts. They grin at each other without speaking and chase their son toward the doors that lead to their family being complete.

\--

There's more paperwork than either of them expected and Berik is restless, even before they learn that they have to sit through a counseling session before leaving the office with their new little girl. They agree, and are shuffled into a room with stiff couches and too little lighting to wait for their case worker to introduce them to her.

While they wait, an older woman in thick glasses peeks in to ask if they need anything. Berik asks for a drink, and the woman brings him one cheerfully. She congratulates them on adopting, and surprises Bertholdt by not even bothering to ask the usual questions of where the 'mother' is or if he and Reiner are married. What she _does_ ask about catches him even further off guard.

"So you'll be taking in little Annie, then? Wonderful that she'll finally be getting a permanent home, after all she's been through." When they look at each other for answers and find none, she notices and draws back slightly. "Haven't they talked to you about her situation?"

"Not extensively" Bert answers honestly. "Is there something we should know?"

She eyes Berik for a moment and hesitates, apparently deciding to tailor her words carefully in his presence. "I'm not sure exactly what I'm allowed to tell you, legally." She glances at the room's closed door and then back to he and Reiner. "But Annie has had a tough road, poor little thing. Her mother died before she was old enough to know her, and her father never did right by her. She's been in a handful of foster homes since he gave her up, and we ended up with her after the last family she was staying with got busted for drugs. They say there was some abuse of some of the kids too, but..." she goes quiet, looking back at Berik. He's listening, and when she finishes speaking he looks up at Reiner with genuine concern in his expression.

"Does that mean we aren't gonna take her home with us?"

Reiner doesn't give him more than a moment to worry about it. He throws an arm over Berik's shoulders and ruffles his hair again, smiling confidently. "Of course not, kiddo. Just means we'll have to show her how much fun we can have at our house, right?" Berik nods hastily in response and grins as well. Bert feels like they've dodged a bullet, but wonders how many more may be on their way.

The woman makes a few more minutes of polite conversation with them before excusing herself, and moments later their worker finally returns, a shy little blonde girl walking in behind her. She shakes their hands excitedly and tries to convince Annie to do the same, but she hesitates, and Bert assures her that she doesn't have to if she'd rather not. The look of relief on her face doesn't detract from the overall sense of panic she exudes, and it pulls at something in his chest that's very different from what he was experiencing just that morning. For the first time, he wonders if this is the right decision. He swallows his anxieties and tries to enjoy their first moments together as a family, even though they feel like anything but.

Annie is withdrawn, and seems all at once fearful of and annoyed by Berik. She answers questions in brief and doesn't offer anything more than what she's asked about. She doesn't protest going with them, but seeing how vacant her eyes look Bert wonders if it's because she's just too numb to have an opinion. He tries to talk to her, tries to incorporate the kind of language they use as a family every day - dad, papa, the whole deal - but it feels forced and foreign. He abandons the topic by the time they stop for dinner that evening, and when she calls him Bertholdt he doesn't argue. They eat quietly in the middle of the noisy restaurant, Berik and Annie scrutinizing each other across the table while he and Reiner trade anxious looks of their own. The table feels crowded and empty all at once.

When they get home he shows Annie to her new bedroom and she unpacks her belongings in solitude, barely responding when he comes to wish her goodnight. He turns out her light, pulls her door closed and heads for his own bedroom, dreading the week ahead. He spends half an hour just staring at the ceiling, not even acknowledging Reiner rubbing comforting circles across his shoulders. They don't discuss it, but he knows they're both thinking the same thing. The next morning they'll be waking up as a family of four, and maybe they're not as ready as they thought they were.

\--

He knew everything would change for their little family when they added an extra plate to the table. But a month later, they still haven't adjusted - things still don't feel right - no matter how hard he tries to normalize their lives again.

Bert still wakes up at the same time every morning, sees his children dressed and readied for school and puts them on the bus before heading off to work. Reiner still asks everyone about their day over dinner and offers to help with homework in the evenings. Berik still watches his sister cautiously, not sure what to make of her any more than he was the first time they met. And Annie still doesn't speak any more than she has to.

One night she asks to be excused from the table, and Bert lets her go without pause. When the door to her bedroom closes behind her, he sighs audibly and rubs his temples in frustration. Reiner understands, and doesn't say a word; Berik is more direct.

"I don't think I like Annie."

"Berik!" Reiner scolds him, but Bertholdt raises a hand to calm them both.

"I think you need to finish your homework before it gets any later" he says, choosing not to let the conversation continue. He knows it's one that Berik probably needs to have with someone, but he isn't ready for it, and he doubts that Reiner is any more prepared. He washes dishes in silence while their son flips pages and occasionally consults one of them for help. When Reiner finally herds him up to his bedroom for the evening, Berik doesn't mention Annie at all, and Bert shames himself privately for almost forgetting to tell her goodnight himself. When he does she barely looks at him, assuring him that her homework is finished before murmuring a cordial 'good night' and rolling over in her bed without another word.

When Reiner comes into their room for the night, Bert is sitting on the edge of their bed, his face buried in his open palms. Reiner sits beside him and drapes an arm across his tight shoulders.

"I don't know what to do" he admits. "I don't know what we're doing wrong." Once the words are out the tears he's been holding back for days follow them, and a few minutes later, he's a sobbing mess on his husband's shoulder. Reiner waits for him to rein in his breathing again before he speaks, and when he does, it's in the soft voice he reserves for moments like these between the two of them.

"We're not doing anything wrong. You know that, Bert."

"But Annie--"

"Just needs more time. She needs more time, more attention - she just needs more, at least more than Berik did, to be sure. You know what she came from before us; we just have to be patient with her, and keep giving her all that we can."

"She's miserable here, Reiner! She isn't doing well in school, she hasn't made any friends, she gets in more fights than both of us as kids put together, and that's just in the last month. She calls us by our first names if she even speaks to us, and she and Berik just avoid each other most days. I feel like... I'm afraid we're failing her."

"The only way we're going to fail her is if we give up on her. I know you better than that; you never gave up on me, and you've always done whatever needed to be done for Berik. We're gonna do the same for Annie. She's _our_ little girl now, and we don't quit on each other. We'll homeschool her, do anything we need to. We're gonna get through this. Everything will be okay."

He sleeps just a little easier that night, because he even if he isn't sure that Reiner is right, part of him chooses to believe that he is.

\--

It's a rainy Tuesday afternoon when he receives a call at work. The phone number on the display makes his stomach drop before he even answers; it's the school principal. He shuts his office door and takes the call, preparing himself for the worst.

"Mr. Hoover?" The principal sounds cordial, but her voice is still firm. "We've had an incident here today, and we're going to need you to come pick up Annie and Berik."

"Are they alright?" He asks, more than a little surprised at Berik's name being mentioned. The thought that Annie is beginning to drag him down along with her crosses his mind, but he pushes it aside as he listens to the principal on the other end of the line.

"They're just fine, but I'm afraid we're going to have to send them home for the rest of the day. Half day suspension is our school's policy for fighting."

"They were _fighting_ with each other?"

"No, with another child. I'm afraid I can't tell you much more due to our confidentiality guidelines, but I'm sure they'll fill you in once you get them home." There is an edge of humor in her voice but he can't find it in himself to laugh. He thanks her for her call, assures her that he'll be there shortly, and hits Reiner's speed dial button as soon as he hears a dial tone. He isn't sure what he's dealing with yet, but he knows he doesn't want to deal with it alone.

\--

"I want to know exactly what happened, and I want you two to be the ones to tell me."

Bertholdt tries to muster his most authoritative, parental voice, despite the fact that he feels entirely unprepared to handle the situation. Berik and Annie trade hesitant looks, before Berik takes a deep breath and launches into his explanation.

"Well, there's this one mean little girl that always says stuff to Annie at recess, and calls her names and says she acts like a boy and... well, she's just really rude and stuff. And she and Annie were yellin' at each other on the playground today, and then she hit Annie with a sword!"

Bert glances at Reiner, who looks like he might be about to laugh. "She hit Annie with a _sword_?"

"Well, I mean... it was a toy sword, but she hit Annie's hand really hard - it made her fall off the jungle gym! So I ran over to her and told her to quit hitting my sister, and I tried to push her down, but she..." Berik trails off and Annie sighs before stepping in to finish the story.

"She hit Berik and knocked him down, so I threw rocks at her."

"She didn't knock me down!" Berik insists, but Bertholdt waves him silent and gives Annie an exasperated look.

"Why did you throw _rocks_ at her, Annie?"

Annie shrugs and looks out the window, and for a moment it seems like she won't say anything further. But just as Bert turns back around to face the road, her quiet voice comes again, and he can scarcely match it to the words she says.

"Cause she hurt my brother."

He turns to Reiner again - just to be sure someone else heard the same thing - but Reiner is turned fully around in the passenger's seat, looking back at their children proudly.

"That's my girl!" He throws a hand up for a high five, and Bert forgets to grumble at him when Annie actually _gives_ him one. He repeats the gesture with Berik who responds with even more enthusiasm, and the question Bert knew was on its way.

"So are we gonna be grounded?"

Reiner glances up at Bertholdt and then back at the kids before cracking a wide smile and shaking his head.

"Nope. We're going to dinner."

The restaurant is too expensive and the kids barely eat, but neither of them really care. It's the first time that conversation at the table has involved four people, and suddenly they're like any other family, out to dinner and talking about life. Bert can't remember a better meal.

\--

He tucks Annie in that evening, and she actually returns his smile when he tells her to sleep well.

"We're really not in trouble, Berik and me?"

Her tone is disbelieving, and Bertholdt wants to scoop her up and promise her that she will never again know the pain and distrust from her life before them. Instead, he settles on the end of her bed and cups his hand around her foot. He squeezes it as he talks and she relaxes, just a little.

"No, you're not in any trouble. Not with us, anyway. Maybe try getting in a few less fights at school though, alright?"

"Yeah" she says softly, and almost smiles. The topic of her school jars Bertholdt's memory. He rises from her bed but continues quietly talking as he makes his way toward the door.

"You know, pa-- _Reiner_ \- and I were talking about it a few days ago, and if you'd rather be home schooled, we're willing to do that."

Annie nods and looks like she's considering the idea for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think I want to" she says, more assured than he's ever heard her. "Then I wouldn't see Armin anymore."

"Armin?" Bert asks, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"My friend at school. He sits by me on the bus and at lunch and stuff. If I had school at home I wouldn't get to play with him anymore."

Bert nods and flips the switch to turn out his daughter's light. "Then I'd definitely try getting in fewer fights, ok?" Annie giggles, and he's so taken aback at the sound of it that he stops where he stands for a moment.

"Ok" she promises. He steps out of her room and bids her goodnight, and just as the door is about to click closed, he hears her voice again, softer than ever.

"Goodnight, dad."


End file.
